The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has said that insincerity and lack of commitment on the part of the Federal Government are responsible for the lingering strike.

National president of the union, Mr Emmanuel Asagha, said this yesterday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, while fielding questions from newsmen.

Asagha was in the state to monitor the level of compliance of its members to the ongoing nationwide strike.

He charged the Minister of Education, Nyesom Nwike, to provide Nigerians with proof on his allegation that the union refused to end its strike after the federal government entered an agreement with it to do so.

“We also wish to ask Nigerians to regard the statement credited to the minister as false, malicious and misleading.

The federal government is yet to show seriousness in initiating actions and steps that would lead to amicable resolution of the nationwide industrial impasse with College of Education Academic Staff Union.

We have signed about six memoranda with the government, but no action has been taken on them. It is sad and it amounts to cheap blackmail to read in the media that government implemented 90 per cent of our demands and we refused to call off the strike”, he said.

Asagha further called on stake-holders and other relevant bodies to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to act fast to save teacher education from imminent destruction, stressing that education is the bedrock of every society and teachers are critical players in the system.

He further stated that the union would not be deterred by the government’s threat to commence its no-work-no-pay policy on the striking teachers.

The union embarked on a strike on Dec. 18, 2013, over government’s refusal to implement the 2010 agreement it reached with the union and non-payment of pension and death benefits to families of deceased colleagues. (Daily Trust)

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Olusegun Fapohunda is the founder and editor of MySchoolGist. He loves to share education news from various sources to keep readers informed. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter